Above Ground Pool Padding

by Jackie
(Kansas)

Our 24' above ground pool has been installed for 14 years with no liner replacement. We have had to repair a minor hole from a weed that grew up the side.

We did not put the liner in as you have shown in here and we will try it this time. We do have foot prints all over the bottom of the pool now. I have read other posts but am confused on whether you recommend the padding/cove on a pool that has been installed as long as our has.

We have river bottom silt under our pool. My husband is concerned about another weed or tree root etc causing problems in the future, plus we don't know what is going to be under the pool when we replace the liner. We have not purchased the liner, etc yet but want to right away.

Hi Jackie.

The way I do the majority of my liner installations is to use a push broom across the sand base and make it perfectly smooth. If this is possible, that's the way I would do it. I then install the liner directly over the sand. The second liner always looks a little better than the first, at least most of the time. The base has packed over the years, so once it is smoothed back out again, it tends to stay that way. Especially if you install the liner from outside the pool like on this page.

If you have never had a problem with a cove wash out there is no point in removing your cove and replacing it with preformed cove. As far as the pool pads, I use them when the customer insists, but I would not use them on my own pool.

If anything is growing under your liner you may need some weed killer. If you have grass that grows right up to the edge of the pool, you may want to kill it back and leave a 6-12 inch border free of vegetation around the pool. If you do this you should never have a weed grow up inside the pool.

Comments for Above Ground Pool Padding

Hello, We recently purchased a home with a 24' x 52" above ground pool. As spring time is starting here in NC, some plant materials are begining to peek through the surrounding beds. We were told that the previous owners do not empty the water each year. so we have left it in as well. I see MANY plants (unknown variety) peeking out from underneath the edge of the pool liner. I might add, VERY AGRESSIVE plants. I suspect CANNA. We are trying desparately to dig out from the underside of the pool liner, but as you can envision, not working out so well. We can not lift the edge of the pool liner because it is still full of water. I am wondering 2 things: Can we spray a weed Killer on the plants that are close to the pool? And what do you recommend? We are concerned with the chemical leaching into the liner, among other things. We are thinking to pull out all plant materials within a 24" of the pool liner, but not sure what to use. Also, as we are cleaning the plant beds, are finding many Tree roots that are also growing under the pool liner. Please make any suggestions that would help~I appreciate your time.

Hi Nancy

It sounds to me like you might be describing a soft sided pool. If that is the case weeds are not likely to grow through the liner. I'm not sure I would spray any weed killer up against the pool. I would go with a granule type treatment instead of a liquid oil base.

With a steel wall pool you want to spray the strongest weed and grass killer you can find. These will leach under the pool but will not effect the pool liner.

Keeping that 2' vegetation free area around the pool is a smart thing to do.